CSI softball player Ashley Mullarkey running for a good cause

Ashley Mullarkey ran her first half marathon two weeks ago in the Bronx. The CSI softball players is running and raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

By KELLIE CARNEVALE

WILLOWBROOK -- While most young adults spent their summer lounging at the beach or sitting poolside, College of Staten Island sophomore Ashley Mullarkey, a member of the school’s softball team, spent her summer getting in the kind of shape needed to run a marathon.

And at the same time, she was raising money for cancer patients.

In June, the Clifton resident joined Team In Training (TNT), a local group that helps people get in shape, trains them for marathons, half marathons, triathlons, hiking events or 100-mile bike races while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

LLS’ mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma while also improving the quality of life for the patients and their families.

Why the movement and why the passion for Ms. Mullarkey?

In sixth grade, Ashley had Patricia Jezycki, the Borough Expansion Coordinator for TNT, as a teacher. When Mrs. Jezcki’s husband was diagnosed with leukemia, Ashley and her family donated funds to help find a cure. When Ashley’s grandfather was also diagnosed with lymphoma, she decided there had to be more that she could do to help. It was then that Mullarkey looked into TNT. There was just one problem: She could barely run a mile when she first started.

“Two months into training, and now I’m running 13 miles,” she claims after adopting TNT into her lifestyle. “Training for a marathon isn’t something you can cram for. It takes a lot of hard work. The coaches are very helpful and they give you steps and advice on how to get yourself in better shape.”

The 26.2-mile marathon that Ms. Mullarkey is training for is at the end of October in Dublin, Ireland. Thus far, she has raised $1,540 of her goal of $5,400, or 29 percent of what she needs. Seventy-five percent of what she raises will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Ms. Mullarkey, 19, is the youngest on her Staten Island-based team where the oldest competitor is 61. The team is approximately 25 strong and they get together twice a week to practice.

Mrs. Jezycki says Ashley’s participation in the TNT is inspiring. The day before a race in the Bronx, Ashley was supposed to be off from training and resting. Instead, the former New Dorp High School basketball and softball player, walked up and down the boardwalk handing out flyers for the program.

“Ashley is always cheering on her teammates,” says Mrs. Jezcki. “Her spirit is the contagious kind we need for a program like this. She’s like the energizer bunny!”

Ms. Mullarkey ran her first half marathon two weeks ago in the Bronx. She finished 11th in her age bracket.

“I’m an athlete, but I never actually just ran,” Ms. Mullarkey said. “Running gives you a new kind of confidence, a definite boost. It makes me feel like I’m doing something out of the ordinary. The fact that I can help raise money for a good cause while I do this makes it even better.”